


The Fountain

by bluemoonmaverick



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-19
Updated: 2014-02-25
Packaged: 2018-01-13 00:38:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1206376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemoonmaverick/pseuds/bluemoonmaverick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The team travels to a planet whose inhabitants may have discovered the secret to eternal youth.  But at what price?  An action/adventure with a bit of S/J ship, natch.  **Sam & Jack Multimedia Awards Nominee - Angst (2016)**</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place somewhere around late Season 4 or early Season 5. Thanks to the fabulous MidKnight Rider for the beta.

Jack sculpted the bill of his green baseball cap before fitting it to his head and sweeping his gaze around the 'gate room, searching in vain for his missing team member, one errant archeologist. He let out a long sigh, and Sam had to stifle a grin. This was a routine she had seen play out so many times, she wasn't sure they would know how to start a mission without Daniel being late and Jack complaining about the fact.

Her commanding officer turned to face her. "Remind me why are we going to P3X-yada, yada, yada again?"

Sam put on her best dutiful subordinate face and tamped down on her own urge to sigh. Jack knew the designation of the planet just as well as she. She played along all the same. "P2L-487, sir. And we're going because the MALP readings indicate the presence of naquada."

"Yes, and there appear to be signs of civilization, as well," added Daniel as he walked through the blast doors, bandana in hand.

"Of course there are." Jack spun to stare down the scientist as he joined the group at the bottom of the ramp. "Nice of you to join us, Daniel."

Daniel, nonplussed, placed the bandana over the top of his head and tied it down in the back. "In a hurry, Jack?"

"Actually, yes." Jack paused for dramatic effect. "There's a Simpsons marathon on tomorrow night that I would prefer not to miss."

"Do you not own all of those television episodes on video tape, O'Neill?" asked Teal'c.

Sam ducked her head to hide the smile she could no longer keep from creeping up the corners of her mouth.

"Yes, yes I do. But it's just not the same as watching them on live television." Jack tapped the Jaffa once on the chest with his index finger as he spoke, and Teal'c lifted a single eyebrow in response. Their leader, however, paid little attention as he was apparently on a roll. "In any event, I now predict that we will undoubtedly discover a pre-industrial society complete with a beautiful archeologist who falls madly in love with Daniel and insists on showing him a significant historical ruin that requires at least a three day walk through the forest, thus ensuring that I miss said television event."

Daniel crossed his arms and stared at Jack. "And how, exactly, can you be so certain about that?"

"Experience, Danny-boy. Fate has never been on my side when it comes to such things."

Sam gave up trying to repress her grin. "For the record, sir, the MALP indicates that the Stargate is located in a tropical climate, not a forest."

"Po-tay-to, po-tah-to, Carter. And maybe it's a handsome scientist who falls for you - or Daniel for that matter - but either way, my money is on missing my marathon. Anyone care to bet against me?" He looked around the group but was met only with an eye roll from Daniel, which he soundly ignored. "I didn't think so." He shouted up toward the control room. "Dial us up, Walter!"

The 'gate blossomed then settled, and the four teammates walked up the ramp and into the bright, blue event horizon. As they emerged on the other side, however, the first thing Jack noticed was that it was decidedly dim.

He turned toward his Second as she emerged from the 'gate. "Carter, don't we normally try to arrive in the daytime?"

"Yes, sir," she replied, taking in her surroundings. She checked her watch. "It should be just after dawn. I think the canopy is keeping it darker in the jungle."

"It does seem a bit overgrown," added Daniel.

Everywhere they looked there was foliage. Great tropical trees obscured the sky, and leafy vines covered all available surfaces, including the 'gate. Small tendrils had even begun making their way up the tires of the MALP, which Sam was currently examining.

"It is quite warm on this planet," said Teal'c.

Jack had already peeled off his jacket and was using its sleeve to wipe his face. "And humid. Remind me never to complain about those cool, evergreen forest planets again." He turned toward the archeologist. "What makes you think this one is inhabited?"

"Uh," Daniel began looking all around, "it should be over here." He moved diagonally from the MALP and began searching the ground. "Ah ha! Right here. See this?" He pointed to what appeared to be a small rock on the ground. "This seems to be some sort of marker; I think it's directional in nature. And look, there's a trail heading off that way." He pointed away from the Stargate.

Sam's head popped up to see where he was indicating. "Same direction as the naquada, sir."

Jack nodded. "All right, kids. Off we go. I'll take point. Teal'c, you watch our sixes."

The Jaffa inclined his head, and the four took off, walking down the faint trail single file. The further they hiked, the steeper the angle of the trail became. It soon became apparent that they were losing considerable elevation. They hadn't gone far when Jack caught a whiff of the ocean on a small but welcome breeze. Just as he was thinking that he could really use a mission on a nice, tropical beach, he heard something rustle in the foliage. He held his hand up in a fist. The others stopped immediately.

"Did you hear something?" he asked in a low voice.

"I think I hear waves," replied Daniel.

"I, too, can hear the sea," added Teal'c.

Jack shook his head. "No, something closer."

They all looked around, weapons at the ready, but didn't hear anything further. In fact, the jungle was unnaturally quiet, with no sound indicating the presence of insects, birds, or any other animal that might otherwise be expected to live in an area teeming with plant life. Jack gave the signal to keep walking, though an increasing sense of unease had settled over him. Like their leader, the rest of the team remained on high alert.

Not two klicks further down the trail, the unmistakeable sound of a limb breaking echoed under the canopy. All four members immediately raised their weapons and instinctively began backing up in as much of a circle as the narrow trail would allow.

"Okay, I definitely heard that," Sam said quietly.

Teal'c scoured the surrounding jungle. "I believe we are being followed."

Jack waited for a beat and decided to opt for the direct approach. "We know you're there!" he yelled. "You can come out now!"

Nothing happened for several long minutes, the faint sound of waves breaking on a distant shore the only noise disturbing the otherwise still jungle. Nervously, the four scoured the surrounding foliage, looking for any sign of a disturbance, but nothing moved.

Without warning, the quiet was suddenly rent by a high pitched, ear piercing shriek. Multiple creatures dropped down on the group from above, and the team let loose a barrage of bullets into the fray.

In the dim light under the canopy, Jack was unable to get a clear look at the beings, but he did catch a glimpse of red eyes, pointed teeth, claw-like fingers, and ghostly pale skin, all covered by layers of grime and matted hair. His first thought was that the horrifying creatures were human, but he quickly dismissed that idea when he caught sight of a face that was so grossly distorted it appeared to be melting off its skull.

The team fired round after round into the group of human form monsters that was now surrounding them, but when the creatures were hit, they'd merely screech and back off, only to quickly be replaced by twice as many more. Jack soon realized that his team was being overwhelmed by the sheer number of creatures attacking them.

Whatever these beings were, they were smart, Jack thought. They had infiltrated their defensive formation and separated the four teammates from each other. Teal'c, having given up trying to pick them off with his staff weapon, was now engaged in hand to hand combat with one that was attempting to bite his face. Jack couldn't see Daniel, but out of the corner of his eye, he witnessed four of the things descend upon Sam, one wrestling her weapon from her grip, the remaining three picking her up and carrying her off into the jungle.

"Carter!" He screamed after her, but it was no use. She was gone. Desperately, he tried to rid himself of the creatures surrounding him, clawing at him. He had to go after her to find her, to save her. But it was no use. There were just too many of them.

Before he understood completely what was happening, he smelled something strange and began to black out. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was one of the creatures hovering over him and hissing in his face, a mouth full of pointed teeth curving upwards in a grotesque parody of a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Even through closed eyes, Jack could tell that it was entirely too sunny. For a moment, he thought he must be on vacation, as a light ocean breeze and the sound of peaceful waves threatened to lull him back to sleep. In the next second, though, the struggle in the jungle immediately came back to him, complete with a vision of a wicked smile and blood red eyes staring down at him. He bolted upright in the bed in which he'd been lying, trying to get his bearings as his eyes adjusted to the bright light. In an instant, Daniel and Teal'c were by his side.

"What happened?" he asked them both.

Daniel responded first. "I...I don't know. One minute, I was fighting some...thing in the jungle; the next minute, I woke up here."

"I, too, had a similar experience," added Teal'c. "However, I remained conscious long enough to observe a great number of people enter the forest carrying torches. The fire seemed to turn back the creatures that were attacking us."

Jack looked around the room. It was large and contained several beds. If Jack were to guess, he'd say it was an infirmary of some sort. The walls of the room appeared to be made of stone, and sunshine streamed in from great open windows high up one wall.

"Where are we?"

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck. "I think we're in a fortress or castle of some sort on the coast."

A sickening feeling struck Jack, and his face darkened. He glanced quickly around the room, then stared directly at his two teammates. "Where's Carter?"

Teal'c exchanged a look with Daniel. "We do not know, O'Neill."

Jack jumped off of the bed, swaying a little as he attempted to get to his feet. He fought back a rising sense panic. "I saw those creatures drag her off into the jungle. I have to find her."

He pushed past Teal'c and made his way toward what appeared to be the exit, but Daniel stepped in front of him and placed a restraining hand on his chest. "Wait a minute, Jack. We don't know where to look. Teal'c's already told the people who brought us here that she's missing. They've got a group searching for her now."

"Not good enough, Daniel," Jack growled. "She's my..." he stopped short, and reconsidered his words, "my responsibility, and I'm not going to wait around here doing nothing while some strangers try to find her."

Just as Jack had resumed his march toward the open doorway, a young woman and two men entered, one of the men carrying an unconscious Sam. All three of the strangers were tall and toned, with dark hair and olive skin. The larger of the men laid Sam on a bed, and Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c hurried over to her side. The man who brought her in looked up at the Jaffa. "We got to her before the savages could take her into their cave." At that the woman shuddered.

"Is she injured?" Daniel asked the second man, who was busy examining Sam's body. He was presumably a doctor, though he couldn't have been more than twenty-five years old, thought Jack.

His examination complete, he looked up at Daniel. "She appears to be unharmed."

The woman was holding her hands up to her mouth. "She has not been violated?" she whispered, her voice laced with fear. At that Jack jerked his head up to look at the doctor with narrowed eyes. The sick feeling was back.

"No," replied the doctor. "No, I believe you got to her in time, Sukumar."

Jack didn't care for the somewhat smug expression that graced Sukumar's face, but he was too overwhelmed with relief to dwell on it. He pushed his way toward the head of Sam's bed. He reached out as if to touch her brow but then thought better of it. "Why is she unconscious?" he demanded of the doctor.

"The savages use the root of the cassova plant to induce unconsciousness, making even the strongest of us easy prey. It does not cause permanent damage, but it can take awhile to wear off. She is otherwise uninjured and should regain consciousness any time now."

Daniel stepped forward and addressed all three strangers. "Thank you. For saving her - for saving all of us - and bringing us here."

"Yes," interrupted Jack, "where is 'here' anyway?"

The man who had carried Sam into the room answered. "You are on the island of Beimini, in our village on the coast. You are safe here; the savages keep to their caves and the dark cover of the jungle. They will not venture into the city. I am Sukumar, leader of this island. This," he indicated the woman standing by his side, "is Giyana, my sister. And Tano you have most likely realized is one of our most able physicians."

"It's an honor to meet you all. I am Daniel Jackson." Ever the diplomat, Daniel indicated each of his team members in turn. "This is Jack O'Neill, Teal'c, and the woman you brought in is Samantha Carter. We are travelers, from a planet called Earth..."

"Earth!" exclaimed Giyana. "Tell me, did you travel through the ring of stone? Are you followers of Jocahu as well? Have you come seeking eternal life?"

Sukumar grasped his sister's arm and shot her a warning glare, while Jack and Daniel exchanged slightly puzzled looks. Before either could ask any further questions, though, Sam began to stir.

"Easy, Carter," Jack said, as she tried to sit up.

She rubbed her forehead. "What happened?" she asked, her voice rough.

"You are lucky to be alive," Giyana replied immediately. "If my brother hadn't rescued you, you would surely be dead."

Sam's gaze followed Giyana's to Sukumar. "Yes," he agreed, nudging past Jack to approach Sam, earning him a scowl from the military man. "The savages are known to feed on those they capture, often torturing and raping their victims before killing them. It is rare for one to come back from being taken unharmed." As he spoke, he picked up Sam's hand and held it in his, causing the scowl on Jack's face to deepen further.

"Thank you," Sam said sincerely, though she gently pulled her hand from his grasp.

"What exactly were those things that attacked us?" Jack asked.

"Giyana," said Sukumar, his eyes still trained on Sam, "perhaps we should provide our guests with accommodations for the night, so they can fully recover from their ordeal." He turned to Daniel, completely ignoring Jack. "We can discuss what brings you to Beimini and answer any questions you may have tomorrow."

"Um," Daniel stalled, as he shot a sideways look at Jack. He knew their leader was about to say someting that would likely get them booted off the planet or imprisoned - or worse. "We'd appreciate that, Sukumar," he continued quickly, cutting off the caustic statement was undoubtedly on the tip of Jack's tongue. "Thank you."

"Yes, thank you," Jack added lifting his chin a bit, his voice tinged with sarcasm, though only the members of his team noticed.

Once Sam was on her feet and Jack was certain she was uninjured, Giyana indicated that the four of them should follow her. They made their way through the building, noting the layout as they walked. The construction was some sort of gray, porous rock, and the design was surprisingly airy, with most of the hallways open on one side to a large interior courtyard. Wide doorways leading to various rooms lined the other side, each with large windows providing unobstructed views of the ocean or the rest of the village, with the jungle behind.

"This reminds me a bit of Tulum," Sam whispered to Daniel.

"A little," he agreed, "but the architecture isn't right, and I see no other indication of a Mayan culture." He stopped walking for a moment and stared at Sam. "Wait a minute. How do you know about Tulum?"

She shrugged, smiling slightly as she continued walking past him. "Cancun. Spring break, 1989."

"Oh," he muttered.

"Sounds like my kind of anthropological excursion," Jack stage whispered in Daniel's direction, waggling his eyebrows.

They stopped in front of a large room, and Giyana indicated that it was for Daniel and Sam. She then hesitated for a moment, looking back and forth between Jack and Teal'c. "I suppose you would like...separate rooms?"

Daniel attempted to cover his snort with a cough, while Sam bit the inside of her cheek. Teal'c merely raised a single eyebrow.

"Actually, we all prefer to stay in one room," Jack replied sharply. Aside from being irritated by Giyana's various assumptions about his team, he didn't trust any of the people he had met so far and was not keen on being separated.

Giyana's eyes widened slightly. "I'm sorry; these rooms are usually designed for only two at most..."

"That will be fine, Giyana," Daniel inserted quickly. "Perhaps you have two rooms close together?"

She directed them to two adjacent rooms with balconies overlooking the ocean, though she couldn't hide her startled look when Jack followed Sam into the first, leaving Daniel to share his room with Teal'c.

"I will have someone bring you food and drink. Please, rest tonight, and we will discuss the purpose of your visit tomorrow." With that, she turned to leave through the open entry, pulling the door closed behind her. Jack noticed with some interest that there was no lock.

He looked around the room and had to admit it was quite beautiful. The doors to the balcony were thrown wide open, revealing a seascape that looked like something out of a travel brochure. Below them, a white sand beach dotted with swaying palm trees led to crystal clear blue-green water. Several yards out, Jack could see a large barrier reef beneath the waves. Tropical flowers adorned the interior of the room and clean linen sheets dressed a single, large bed that dominated the center of the space. It suddenly occurred to him that the entire set up reminded him of the honeymoon suite at a pricey beach resort.

Jack sighed to himself. This could be a problem. Ever since their confessions during the zatarc incident, he had been careful to avoid sleeping in the same tent with Sam. Knowing that she felt the same way he did was simply too much of a temptation. This time, though, he just couldn't resist seeing the look on Giyana's face when he walked into the room behind his beautiful and much younger Second. But as he watched the slight movement of her hips as she strolled out onto the balcony, he began to rethink the wisdom of sharing a room with her, and this room in particular.

He shook his head to clear it. Ah well, it was too late to turn back now. Taking a deep breath, he joined her on the balcony, and the two of them watched the waves lap the shore in a comfortable silence.

After a few minutes, she spoke. "Beautiful, isn't it, sir?"

"It is," he agreed, "but don't you think there's something about this place that's a little...off?"

"You mean like killer zombies dropping out of the trees?"

He laughed. "There is that." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "You sure you're okay, Carter?"

She turned to face him. "I'm fine, sir, really. I don't remember anything that happened after I lost consciousness, but I don't think those...things hurt me in any way." She shrugged. "I guess I have Sukumar to thank for that."

"Ah, your hero," replied Jack wryly, looking back out over the water. "Seems to have taken an interest." He raised an eyebrow at her. "By the way, I predicted that would happen, did I not?"

"Sukumar is clearly a politician of some sort; I believe you said he would be a scientist," she smirked.

He shrugged. "Same difference. I don't like politicians either."

Sam looked at him with mock indignation. "Either? I thought you'd at least warmed up to the scientists, sir."

"Only archeologists," he deadpanned.

"Archeologists, huh?"

He gave her a sly grin. " _Maybe_ an astrophysicist every now and then." She grinned back, and they turned again toward the ocean. He bumped her shoulder with his. "Glad you're okay, Carter. You had me worried there for a minute."

"Sorry, sir," she replied, and she really was. She knew all too well what it was like to not know what had happened to one of her teammates, and especially him, though she would never admit that out loud.

Jack huffed. "Yes, well, I'd hate to lose one of only two scientists I actually like."

Sam gave her commanding officer a brilliant smile, and Jack felt his stomach do a little flip flop. He immediately turned his attention back to the ocean and tried very hard not to think about how beautiful she looked, the setting sun giving her skin a warm glow, with the light reflecting off the water and dancing in her eyes.

Yep, he thought, this could definitely be a problem.

oOoOoOo

Giyana swept into her brother's quarters. He'd been staring out the window, his mood pensive, but spun around to face her the moment she entered. "Did they tell you why they're here?" he demanded. She shook her head. "They are searching for it," he said more to himself than to her. He grabbed his sister by the shoulders. "We need to be careful. You must not say anything more."

She hung her head for a moment, and he dropped his hands. She looked up at him. "Sukumar, how did you retrieve the woman from the savages?"

He smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "I didn't. I found her, lying on the jungle floor. It would seem they abandoned her there."

"But why?"

Sukumar furrowed his brow. "I do not know, but they are getting bolder – they attacked in the daylight, and the fire seems less of a deterrent to them now. We were barely able to turn them away. Hatu was almost taken. All the more reason to be cautious."

Giyana paused, wondering if she should share what she had observed with her brother, given his apparent interest in the fair stranger. Ultimately, she decided he needed to know. "I think the silver haired man is mated to the woman."

He scoffed. "He is too old! In fact, I doubt he will be of much use to us."

"Perhaps not, but the others could provide a great deal, especially if they're really from Earth..."

Sukumar grabbed her shoulders once again. "Yes, but we need to keep them here until the second rising, and we must ensure they suspect nothing, Giyana."

She nodded her head once in agreement.


	3. Chapter 3

_She was bound and couldn't move her arms or legs, though it mattered little as she was gripped by a paralyzing fear. She knew something terrible was about to happen, but she had no idea what. With a blinding flash of light, her body seized as every nerve ending erupted in white hot flame._

_She tried to scream, but no sound came._

_Inexplicably, she found herself running through the jungle, trying to escape the light, because with the light came pain. A large vine caught her foot, and she went flying, landing by a pool of standing water. As she began to push herself back up, something in the still pond caught her attention. She leaned over to get a better look and gasped at what she saw. Staring back at her were red eyes set in a visage that appeared to be grossly distorted by the water. It was only when she brought her hand up to touch her cheek that she realized the image was a reflection of her own face._

_This time when she screamed, the sound echoed under the canopy of the dark jungle._

"Carter!" Jack yelled for the third time, giving her shoulder a good shake. Finally, she quieted and rolled over, her eyes locking on his in the dim moonlight.

"Jack," she cried, as she brought her hand up to her face. "What's happening to me?"

He noted the use of his first name but tried to ignore the intimacy such an action implied. It didn't help that she had pressed the full length of her body to his in the bed they were currently sharing. He resisted the urge to stroke her cheek. "Nothing, Carter. It was just a dream," he said softly, but she was already shaking her head.

"No." She sat up in the bed suddenly, and Jack didn't know whether he felt bereft or relieved. "No, it was more than a dream. It was so... _real_."

He sat up as well and could see now that she was shaking slightly. He raised his hand to put it on her back but dropped it before it reached its intended destination. He cleared his throat. "You want to talk about it?"

She looked down at her hands. "No, sir. I...I can't really remember anything." She glanced at him and gave him a sheepish smile. "You're right. It was just a dream. Sorry for waking you, sir." With that, she lay back down, careful to keep a respectful distance from him, and he did the same.

It was a long time before either of them fell asleep.

oOoOoOo

The following day, they were shown around the settlement by a striking young woman appointed by Sukumar to be their guide. The location was unbelievably beautiful. The fortress was positioned on a bluff between the jungle and the beach, with a spring fed river flowing from the jungle, through the structure, and over the cliff to a pool on the beach below. Smaller stone and thatched roof buildings surrounded the fortress, extending down the beach as far as the eye could see in either direction.

Everyone they met seemed young and healthy, and when Teal'c commented on the apparent prosperity of the people, their guide explained that the freshwater streams from the jungle, together with the bounty of the ocean and nearby flora, provided everything they needed to survive.

They wound up their tour in the courtyard of the fortress in which they were staying, and Daniel took particular interest in a large stone carving of someone named Sequene. According to their guide, Sequene was a tribal chief who had led the first settlers to the island thousands of years ago with the promise of everlasting life. Although Daniel asked several more questions about Sequene and the history of the Beiminian people, their guide was either unable or unwilling to share additional information. Instead, she politely directed them to Sukumar who, she promised, would address any unanswered questions.

At the end of the tour, the group was shown to a large room, where they were told Sukumar and the rest the ruling council would join them for lunch. As they were waiting, Jack clapped his hands together and addressed his team. "All righty then. Any clue who these people are or where they come from?"

"Something about the name Sequene sounds familiar, but I just can't place it," Daniel replied, crossing his arms and holding his chin. "Some things about this village are reminiscent of the Mediterranean but, culturally, it doesn't really fit..."

"Whatever their history, they certainly seem extremely prosperous," volunteered Sam.

"Not to mention extremely young," added Jack. "Is it just me or is everyone here under thirty?" There were nods all around. "Great," he groused. "I think that officially makes me the oldest person on the island."

Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back. "On the contrary, O'Neill, I believe my years outnumber yours considerably."

"I appreciate that, T, but I'm afraid it's not the years, but the mileage..."

Daniel interrupted. "It is strange. Now that you mention it, I didn't see anyone who was old - or sick, for that matter."

"It's possible the elderly and ill are kept out of public view," Sam theorized.

Jack turned toward Sam. "Maybe. But I still say something's not right here. I get the feeling these people are hiding something...Any chance they're Gou'ald?"

Sam shook her head. "I haven't sensed a symbiote, sir."

"Nor have I," Teal'c added.

At that point, Sukumar, Giyana, and several others walked into the room, cutting their conversation short. It quickly became clear that the individuals who made up the ruling council of the Beiminians were all from the same extended family.

As they sat down to lunch, Sukumar turned to Daniel. "So, what do you think of our village?"

Daniel shot a look at Jack, who seemed content to allow him to take the lead. He cleared his throat. "It is very beautiful. And your people seem extremely...healthy."

Sukumar beamed at him. "Yes, we are fortunate to live free of illness here."

"And yet, you have doctors," Jack commented from further down the table.

Sukumar's eyes narrowed a bit. "We may not suffer from disease, but we do experience injuries from time to time, as I'm sure you can appreciate."

"Of course," Jack replied. "There's always the occasional bar brawl..."

The Beiminian leader smirked. "Ah, but we are free from crime, as well."

"How does a village of your size avoid crime?" Sam asked.

"We have a strong deterrent against it." Sukumar smiled at her, but his eyes were steel. "Any person found in violation of our laws is put to death."

"Effective," mumbled Jack.

"Enough about us for now," said Sukumar to Daniel, dismissing Jack again. "Tell us what brings you to Beimini."

Daniel gave the council his spiel about being peaceful explorers in search of galactic allies with whom to trade. But when he broached the subject of the naquada they had detected, no one appeared to have any idea what the mineral was or where it might be located.

There was, however, great interest in the fact that the team came from Earth. Apparently, some of their ancient writings included reference to the planet and indicated that the Beiminians originated from there. In addition, certain texts promised that those who hailed from that planet could bring great things to their people. Daniel asked if he could see some of these texts, and Sukumar agreed to have them delivered to his room later that evening.

Throughout their conversation, several servants moved among the group, providing food and drink and clearing away the empty vessels. Like the other Beiminians, they were all young and attractive. However, they avoided eye contact, kept their heads down, and refused to speak, even when the members of SG-1 tried to thank or otherwise acknowledge them.

Near the end of the meal, Daniel asked about the savages they'd encountered when they'd first arrived. The discussion had, up until that point, been lively, but the mood of the party turned somber the moment the question was asked.

Sukumar sighed and sat back in his chair. "They have been here as long as anyone can remember. They are extremely violent, as you have seen. Until recently, they kept to their caves and would come out only at night and were therefore easily avoided. Now, however, they have now begun straying further and further into the jungle, sometimes even in the daylight. Still, they are afraid of the light and will not venture past the jungle's edge." He paused and shook his head. "We have lost several of our people in recent months."

"But why go into jungle at all then?" asked Daniel.

"It is the site of our sacred ritual, honoring our god Jocahu, who ensures the health and well being of our people." He looked around the group and smiled. "In fact, the timing of your visit is fortunate. Tomorrow night is the second rising, which signifies the beginning of the ritual. There will be a great celebration. We would be honored for you to join us."

Sukumar smiled again, and Jack was instantly reminded of another smile, one full of pointed teeth accompanied by blood red eyes.

oOoOoOo

Later that evening, the team gathered in Teal'c and Daniel's room to debrief. While Daniel pored over the documents that Sukumar had delivered, the other three recapped the days' events.

"They certainly seem friendly enough," said Sam.

Jack shook his head. "I don't trust Sukumar as far as I can throw him. He's hiding something. Did you notice how the servants wouldn't even look at us?"

"I, too, sensed that he was not being completely truthful," Teal'c added. "I believe he lied about the naquada."

"Yeah," Jack said, "and where are all the older people? Sukumar and his buddies seem a little young to be the ruling council."

Daniel looked up suddenly from his scrolls. "I think I've figured out why everyone here seems so young."

Jack gestured toward him encouragingly. "Do tell."

"I think these people may have found the Fountain of Youth."

His proclamation was met with stunned silence. " _The_ Fountain of Youth?" Jack finally asked, incredulous. "I thought that was in Florida."

"Actually, that's a common misconception. Most people believe that Ponce de Leon went searching for the Fountain and found Florida instead. But there's an older myth that tells of an Arawak chieftain named Sequene who led a group of people from their home in the western Caribbean to a magical island by the name of – get this – Bimini, which was reportedly the location of the Fountain of Youth." Daniel was talking so fast, he had to pause to take a breath. "After they left their home, they were never heard from again. Many thought they had actually succeeded in their quest." He was now grinning from ear to ear. "I didn't make the connection until I saw the names written in these documents."

"Wait a minute!" Jack exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're telling me that these people are the descendants of some guy named Sequin and that this is their magic island and that they actually found the Fountain of Youth?"

"Is it not common to encounter the descendants of Earth on other planets?" Teal'c asked Jack.

"Okaaaay," he reluctantly conceded the point. "How'd they get here then? I don't recall anyone stumbling across a Stargate in the Caribbean."

Sam shrugged. "Maybe they were brought here by spaceship. Didn't Sukumar say they had a god?"

Daniel nodded enthusiastically. "Jocahu. And I think he's a Gou'ald."

"I am unfamiliar with that name, DanielJackson," Teal'c inserted.

"What makes you think that, Daniel?" asked Sam at the same time.

Daniel tapped the manuscript he was holding. "This document – the language is a derivation of Gou'ald."

Jack huffed. "Well, it looks like we'll found out soon enough. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe we're invited to his party tomorrow."

oOoOoOo

Jack lay awake in the bed next to Sam. The moon on this planet had a much closer orbit than Earth's, and it was apparently waxing because the light streaming in from the open window was keeping him awake. Of course, there was also the fact that he couldn't shake the notion that something about this place was seriously wrong.

Just as he began replaying the day's events for the umpteenth time, Sam began to stir in her sleep. Within seconds, she was thrashing and moaning, apparently in the throes of another nightmare. This time, he opted for the direct approach and grabbed her firmly by the shoulder to wake her up.

She immediately sat up in bed with a gasp, her eyes wild.

"Carter?" he asked quietly, sitting up alongside her. With a sob, she threw herself into his arms. Cautiously, he embraced her and began patting her back. After four years in the field together, he'd never seen her behave this way. "Hey. What is it?"

She sniffed but didn't release her hold on him. "They're in so much pain," she whispered into his chest.

He pulled back from her a little to look at her face. "Who?"

"I…I'm not sure. But they're here. I think…I think maybe those creatures have them. I keep seeing those horrible…things in my dream."

Once again, he had to stop himself from cupping her face. He placed his hands on her upper arms instead. "It's just a dream, Carter, probably brought on by all the weirdness you're picking up on here."

She looked doubtful but nodded anyway and lay back down on her side, facing away from him. He stretched out beside her and watched her try to relax, but she remained stiff as a board. He knew that she wouldn't easily fall back to sleep.

Jack observed her for a moment longer, finally placing his hand tentatively on her shoulder. He meant for it to be a simple gesture of comfort, but before he could fully appreciate what was happening, she had grabbed it with her own and used it as leverage to roll over into his embrace.

He was stunned by the unexpected contact. He had only held her like this once before, when they were other people, deprived of the memory of their reporting relationship. But that was months ago, and he'd shoved that experience into the same room with all of the other inappropriate glances, gestures, and feelings they'd shared.

Silently, he began to count the number of ways their positioning violated military decorum, but as she snuggled into his chest and her breathing evened out, he quickly realized that he really didn't care. He pulled her closer and buried his nose in her hair.

Within minutes he, too, was fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The following evening was clear and warm, and Sam was actually looking forward to the party planned for later that night, if for no other reason than to have something to do. Most of the day, the team - with the exception of Daniel, who was still studying the scrolls - had little to occupy them, as the rest of the village was busy preparing for the ritual celebration.

Giyana had brought them some traditional native clothing earlier that afternoon, having informed them that their military garb was inappropriate for the occasion. Sam immediately fell in love with her brightly colored sarong, but Jack and the rest of the men were less than enthusiastic about what essentially amounted to over decorated loincloths. However, when they complained, Giyana merely shrugged her shoulders and cryptically replied that they wouldn't have to worry about them for long.

Sam tried to reassure her teammates that they would be the picture of formidable masculinity, but when she walked into the open air hallway to meet them for the celebration, she had to stifle a giggle. All three men were bare chested and bare legged, with what seemed to be rather small pieces of feathered and beaded fabric covering their crotches.

Jack threw a hand up in exasperation. "Alright. This is _so_ unfair!"

"To what do you refer, O'Neill?" asked Teal'c, who of the three men was the only one even close to pulling off the outfit.

"That we look like this," he said, gesturing to himself, "and she looks like…like…." He faltered, searching for the right word, one that wouldn't get him court martialed – or punched.

"A princess?" offered Daniel.

"A goddess," proclaimed Teal'c.

"Beautiful," said Jack finally, grinning slightly as he took in her long legs, narrow waist, and generous curves, barely concealed by the strategically placed sarong.

Sam smiled and blushed, but then narrowed her eyes at her commanding officer. "Consider it payback, sir, for the blue dress on Simarka."

"Touché, Carter," he conceded with a slight inclination of the head, his smile growing wider. "Shall we?" He indicated that she should proceed him down the hallway and tried to convince himself that he did so out of courtesy and not just so that he could stare at her six. Teal'c raised an eyebrow at him, noting the faint smile that played at the corners of his mouth all the way to the base of the fortress at the edge of the cliff, where they were to meet Sukumar and Giyana.

The moment the Beiminian leader walked out to greet them, though, Jack's smile disappeared. The man's eyes were glued to Sam. The only consolation, thought Jack, was that he looked almost as ridiculous in his ornate loincloth as the rest of them.

"Ah, but you are stunning," he said to Sam, as he walked toward her.

"Thank you," replied Jack, and Sam had to duck her head to hide her amusement.

Sukumar cast a brief, disdainful glance at Jack, then turned his attention back to Sam. "Please, follow me. Our ritual takes place on the shores of the pool, where the river flows into the sea."

He led them down a steep stairway cut into the side of the cliff. At times their path wove behind the waterfall that poured over the edge, and Sam was amazed once again by the beauty of the locale. By now the sun was setting, and the ocean was a riot of color, reflecting the pinks and oranges that played across the sky. Several people, all similarly attired, mingled on the warm sands of the beach below.

When they reached the bottom, they made their way to several wide mats laid out on the beach. As they sat, the ever present yet silent servants brought them food and drink.

"Sukumar," asked Daniel, between mouthfuls of fish and fruit, "I've been reading your scrolls, and I am unfamiliar with your god, Jocahu. I understand that he was once present on this planet?"

Sukumar nodded. "Jocahu brought Sequene and his people to this place and showed him the miracle of our Fountain, the source of our health and well being. At first, he walked among us, but one day he rose into the sky in a ship that sails the heavens and has not returned since. Legend has it that he will come back to take his people into the heavens with him. First, though, we must achieve perfection through the Fountain."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "And what, exactly, is this Fountain?"

Sukumar looked at Jack as though he were slow. "As I have told you, it is the source of our health and well being. Those who enter the Fountain are renewed."

The four members of SG-1 exchanged startled looks. "Forgive us, Sukumar, but we don't understand," inserted Daniel, cutting off Jack before he could respond. "How does it work?"

"The priests prepare the site, and we enter the sacred waters at their source." At that he indicated the river flowing over the side of the cliff. "It is a ritual in which we engage each year during the time of the second rising. In fact, the priests should be making their way to the Fountain as we speak."

"Well that was helpful," Jack muttered under his breath.

"Would it be possible for us to see the Fountain, Sukumar?" Sam asked as sweetly as possible.

He beamed at her. "Of course. I will take you there myself tomorrow, when both moons are waxing. It is then that the power of the Fountain is at its strongest."

"Any chance we could take a look in the daylight. Say, tomorrow morning?" Jack asked.

Sukumar frowned. "The ritual is conducted at night. And my duties prevent me from taking you there during the day."

"Ah, well, I'm sure we could find it on our own..."

"No!" Sukumar barked. "It is forbidden for the uninitiated to visit the Fountain unaccompanied. We will wait until tomorrow evening," he said with finality. He stood then and gestured toward the ocean. "Come," he said, his features softening. "The second rising will occur momentarily."

The rest of the group rose, and Sukumar offered Sam his arm. She glanced over her shoulder at her commanding officer, who did not look pleased but did not otherwise indicate that she shouldn't accept. She grasped the Beiminian leader's arm lightly, and he led her a few yards closer to the shoreline, with Jack and the rest of the team trailing closely behind. Almost all of the revelers had quieted and turned to face the ocean with them.

A full moon, easily ten times as large as Earth's, hung low over the horizon directly in front of them, its reflection bright on the gently rolling waves. Sam squinted as a she tried to discern what was happening. Along the edge of the horizon, the night sky began to lighten slightly. As she watched, a great dome, faint but huge, began to rise up from the ocean behind the moon. It only took Sam a moment to realize what it was. "A second moon!" she gasped in wonder.

"Wow," murmured Daniel from beside her. At the same time, an excited rumble rolled through the crowd behind them. Apparently, the Beiminians were equally impressed by the spectacular sight. The second moon was climbing quickly now, and although it was not nearly as bright as the first, once fully risen, it would easily take up a quarter of the sky.

Sukumar turned to face Sam. "A beautiful picture, no?" He leaned in closer to her and whispered, "Though not half so beautiful as you."

Unfortunately, his words were loud enough to be heard by the rest of SG-1, and Jack's head whipped around so fast Daniel wondered if he didn't give himself whiplash. But Sam had removed her hand from the leader's arm and was already working on managing his unwanted affections. "Sukumar..." she began gently, when unexpectedly she dropped her head in her hands and bent over with a cry of pain.

"Carter!" Jack was at her side instantly. He grabbed her elbows and tried to pull her up so he could look at her face. "What is it?" he asked, but she would neither answer him nor remove her hands from her head. Jack looked directly at Sukumar, who appeared stunned. "Water. Now!" Jack commanded, in a tone that brokered no argument. The younger man scampered off in the direction of the servants.

Sam stood up straight, but Jack did not release his hold on her. "Carter?" he asked, his voice softer now. She lowered her hands to rest them on his forearms. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." She spoke directly to her commanding officer, still holding him tightly. "It happened again, sir. There was a flash of light and a sharp pain, and then I was running through the jungle..." Her voice trailed off, but he nodded at her. Whatever was happening to her clearly wasn't a dream.

"Would you like me to accompany to your quarters, Major Carter?" asked Teal'c.

She smiled up at the Jaffa. "Thanks, Teal'c, but I think I'm okay now."

"You sure, Carter?" Jack asked again.

She dropped her hold on him and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Uh, guys?" Daniel was looking behind them, back toward the celebration. The remainder of the group turned to follow his gaze.

"What the hell...?" asked Jack, as he watched the locals begin to discard what little clothing they had to walk, jump, or dive into the pool at the base of the cliff.

But before they could wonder further about the actions of the Beiminians, a servant approached Sam with a cup of water. She attempted to take it, but he did not let it go immediately. She looked up to meet his eyes, which were full of fear. "You mustn't go to the Fountain," he whispered to her. His eyes shifted nervously from side to side. "All is not as it seems."

He released the cup and retreated quickly, head down, as Sukumar approached. The Beiminian leader furrowed his brow and watched the young man hurry away. He walked up to Sam with a cold smile. "Are you well?"

Sam nodded and took a drink from the cup she had been given to mask her surprise at the servant's behavior. "What are they doing?" she asked him, trying to buy time to process what had just happened. She indicated the large group of naked people now swimming in the pool.

"Legend has it that bathing in the waters that flow from the Fountain on the first night of the second rising brings health, longevity, and...," he looked her up and down, and she repressed the urge to shudder, "virility." He extended his hand to her. "Come, join me, and see for yourself."

Before she could respond, Jack inserted himself between Sam and Sukumar. "Ah, thanks, but no thanks, Suki. I think we'll pass."

"If that is what you choose," he replied, stiffly. "Though I would think a man of your advanced age might find great benefit in such an endeavor." Before Jack could react, Sukumar turned on his heel and headed in the direction of the pool, discarding his clothing as he went.

"I really don't like that guy," Jack muttered under his breath. "And I _really_ didn't need to see that."

"Uh, Jack," said Daniel, looking around. "I think maybe we should sit the rest of this party out. Because we're about to see a whole lot more."

Everywhere they looked, men and women in various states of undress were becoming intimate, most with absolutely no concern for personal privacy.

"Now _this_ reminds me of Cancun at Spring Break," said Jack, wryly, though he was clearly uncomfortable with the situation. He clapped his hands together. "Right. Okay, let's pack it in, kids."

The group began making their way back to their rooms, trying very hard not to stare at the activity going on all around them. Unfortunately, they had a long way to go, and the inhabitants of Beimini were clearly quite comfortable with their sexuality, at least on this night. Jack muttered something to Daniel about being trapped in a bad porn flick, and Sam had never been more grateful for the cover of darkness, as she was sure she was blushing to her roots. Even Teal'c seemed to be in a hurry to leave the beach.

Once they had returned to their rooms, all four team members gladly changed back into their BDUs, then gathered in Daniel and Teal'c's room again to debrief.

Sam sat down on the floor and crossed her legs. "So, Sukumar's story about Jocahu seems to confirm the theory that he's a Goa'uld."

"Maybe," said Jack, sitting beside her, "but if that's the case, where'd he go and why hasn't he been back?"

"I have never heard of the god Jocahu," added Teal'c. "However, it is possible that he was a minor Goa'uld who was killed many years ago."

Daniel crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "That would explain why he hasn't returned to the planet. It also gives me a theory about this Fountain."

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Jack asked Daniel.

"They've got a sarcophagus," he stated.

Jack nodded. "Well, at least we know now why they're all so young and healthy, not to mention nuts..."

Sam wasn't so sure. "That still doesn't explain the servant's warning tonight."

"Nor the strange beings in the jungle," added Teal'c.

Suddenly, Sam cried out, grabbed her head, and rolled over on the floor. Jack was by her side immediately, trying to turn her over. Daniel and Teal'c dropped down beside her as well.

"Carter!" Jack grabbed her by the shoulders and rolled her onto to her back, trying to repress a rising sense of panic. Something was seriously wrong.

She squeezed her eyes shut. "The light!" She blinked up at Jack. "It's happening again," she whispered, her voice filled with fear.

At that moment, great clanging bells sounded throughout the fortress. From far below, several people began to shout. At a nod from Jack, Daniel darted out of the room and called out to a Beiminian man he spotted running across the courtyard.

"Hey!" Daniel yelled. The man stopped and looked up at him. "What's happening?"

The young man's eyes were filled with fear. "It's the savages! They've attacked the priests!" He resumed his sprint across the open yard.

Daniel jogged back through the open doorway to his room just in time to see Teal'c helping Sam to her feet. He barely caught his rifle as Jack threw it his direction. Daniel raised his eyebrows at their leader.

"We're going to find out what's going on around here," he stated, in response to Daniel's unspoken question. He turned to his Second. "You sure you're up for this, Carter?"

"Yes, sir," she replied without hesitation, apparently having recovered from her experience immediately prior.

Jack nodded once, and his team followed him out the door.

oOoOoOo

They traced the path of the river into the jungle, trailing some distance behind a group of Beiminian men carrying torches, who had presumably gone after the priests. Like before, they remained on high alert, weapons at the ready. Not long after they entered the jungle, the men walking ahead of them stopped, talking excitedly among themselves. Jack gave the signal for his team to move in but indicated they should remain hidden.

As they crept closer, Daniel could see that there were five men in all, including Sukumar, gathered around something lying on the jungle floor. "Is he dead?" asked one of them.

Sukumar rose from where he had been crouched by what Daniel could now see was a body. "They've killed him." The firelight reflecting in his eyes gave him a wild look. "They will suffer for this," he snarled.

With that, Sukumar continued upriver, the other men trailing behind, and Jack moved out as well, with Sam and Teal'c close behind.

Just as Daniel stood to follow, he felt a presence behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he whipped around. He gasped as he came nose to nose with the red eyes and distorted face of one of the jungle creatures. Before he could react, though, the being reached out with a gnarled hand and touched it to Daniel's forehead.

Instantly, two words formed clearly in his mind. _Help us._


	5. Chapter 5

The creature dropped his hand and ran off into the jungle before Daniel had time to react. He stood there for a minute, trying to reconcile what had just happened with what little he knew of these beings. They had all assumed they were being attacked when they first ran into the creatures after walking through the Stargate, but Daniel now wondered whether they had misread their intentions.

He shook himself from his thoughts and turned to find his team several feet upriver. He jogged to catch up to them. "Jack."

Their leader spun around to face him, glancing over his shoulder. "Daniel," he stated with a furrowed brow, perturbed that the archeologist hadn't been keeping up with the rest of the group. "Where have you been?"

"I ran into one of those creatures." The three other members of SG-1 immediately raised their weapons and began scouring the jungle. Daniel held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Wait...just...wait a minute. It didn't hurt me. I think it just wanted to talk to me."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "It wanted to _talk_?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, not talk exactly. It...it touched my head." Daniel closed his eyes, realizing how crazy his next statement was going to sound. "I heard it speak to me - in my mind."

Jack's initial reaction was to question the scientist's sanity. But it then occurred to him that he'd seen much stranger things over the past four years. He took a deep breath. "So what did it say?"

"It asked me for help. Then it just...ran off." The military man looked down at the ground and shook his head. "Look, Jack, I think these things are in some kind of danger."

He glanced up. "And that's a bad thing?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, I think it is."

"I think he's right, sir," Sam interrupted. "I can't explain how I know it; I just...do."

Jack squinted into the distance, thinking. After a moment, he let out a long sigh, then addressed the group, his mind apparently made up. "Alright. Daniel, Teal'c, I want you to get to the Stargate and let the SGC know what's going on here. Tell them to send us some backup. Do you think you can find the 'gate?"

"Um..." Daniel faltered.

"We can," replied Teal'c without hesitation.

"Okay. In the meantime Carter and I will try to figure out what Sukumar and his buddies are up to."

A thought occurred to Daniel. "If we run across the creatures, maybe I can get more information."

"Negative," Jack replied immediately.

"Jack, I don't think they're dangerous."

Jack attempted to reign in his frustration; he had never grown accustomed to having his orders questioned, not even by Daniel. He addressed the archeologist directly. "You can't know that, Daniel. So don't even think about trying to engage them. Got it?"

Daniel gave Jack a nod, recognizing that their leader's tone indicated that he was not going to be persuaded.

"Good," Jack barked, knowing full well that just because Daniel had stopped arguing didn't mean he intended to comply. "And Daniel," he said, his tone softening considerably, "be careful." He looked meaningfully at Teal'c, who nodded his silent understanding that he was to keep the younger man out of trouble.

As they turned to leave, Daniel looked at the two military members of SG-1. "You, too."

oOoOoOo

After Daniel and Teal'c took off into the heart of the jungle, Jack and Sam continued upriver after Sukumar and the others, stopping at the body of the priest that had been left on the river bank. They knelt down on either side of the corpse.

Sam examined the body closely, though it wasn't difficult to determine the cause of death. "Looks like his neck is broken," she said.

Jack frowned down at the corpse. "Yeah, well, it also looks like they might not have a sarcophagus after all."

"Sir?"

Jack glanced up at his Second and gestured to the body. "They've left him here. You'd think they would've taken him back to their sarcophagus to revive him."

She furrowed her brow. "So if the Fountain isn't a sarcophagus, what is it?"

Jack stood and motioned with his head in the direction the Beiminians had traveled. "Let's go find out."

They moved quickly and carefully upriver, slowing only when they suddenly came upon Sukumar and the others, who were talking outside of a small, stone pyramid.

Jack studied the pyramid. Something about it was strangely familiar. It was made of the same gray, porous stone as the fortress in which they'd been staying, and the triangular structure was stepped, rather than smooth. Still, Jack couldn't shake the feeling that it was Goa'uld in origin.

The pyramid sat directly on top of the river, straddling it. The water flowed from an opening in the front, with enough room on either side to allow a person to enter the structure by walking alongside the water. In fact, that was exactly the manner in which Sukumar and his friends walked into the building, as Jack and Sam watched from the cover of the jungle.

Jack motioned for Sam to follow him. Crouching low, they made their way to the back of the pyramid. Surprisingly, there was no water flowing into the structure as might be expected.

"The river must originate from a spring inside the pyramid," Jack whispered in Sam's ear.

She nodded. "How do we get in?" she whispered back.

"Back door." Jack pointed to a small opening halfway up the structure. Sam nodded again, and Jack began climbing the steps toward the entry, with Sam right behind him.

oOoOoOo

Daniel and Teal'c had been walking for almost an hour when all of sudden they heard a large number of birds squawking then taking flight, as if startled. After that, the jungle went completely still. They stopped walking and looked around, scanning the area, including the canopy, carefully.

All at once, several pairs of red eyes emerged from the foliage.

"Uh, Teal'c..." began Daniel.

"I see them DanielJackson," the Jaffa replied quietly.

Daniel turned in a slow circle. They were surrounded. "I don't think we should fight them."

"I agree. It would be unwise to engage this many in battle."

They continued to stare at the beings for several minutes. Finally, one stepped toward the clearing in which they were standing. Daniel recognized him as the same creature who had touched his head before. Slowly, the being approached Daniel and lifted his hand. Teal'c immediately raised his staff weapon and pointed it at the creature's chest.

"It's okay," Daniel said to Jaffa, gently pushing the staff weapon toward the ground.

The creature touched Daniel's head with his hand, and Teal'c resisted the urge to blast him on the spot. Daniel closed his eyes and furrowed his brow but didn't give any further indication that the thing was troubling him in any way.

After a long while, the creature dropped his hand, and Daniel looked up at Teal'c. "They want to take us to meet someone."

oOoOoOo

Jack grabbed Sam's arm and helped her up the last large step of the pyramid. Balancing on the narrow ledge, he twisted his body around to look inside the opening. Firelight from the torches kept most of the interior in darkness, and fortunately, the jungle had reclaimed a part of the structure, including the space beside what Jack decided must be a window. There would be just enough room for Sam and him to stand on the small ledge inside, under cover of some of the foliage that had crept up the interior walls.

As quietly as possible, they eased into position and knelt down, taking in the view below. In center of the structure, a spring bubbled up from the ground into a small pool from which the river flowed out the front of the pyramid. But the features that drew Jack and Sam's attention were two man-made chambers, standing upright in the back of the pool. They were completely clear, made of glass or some other transparent substance, and cylindrical in shape - just large enough to hold a human, Sam thought with some degree of discomfort. They were capped by a metal disk, from which piping ran down into the water and up over the chambers into the rock behind the pool.

Four robed priests were busy fiddling with what could only be described as a control panel of some sort, twisting dials and, it appeared to Sam, taking readings. The entire scene was completely incongruent with the location and would have looked more appropriate on the deck of a spaceship than in an ancient temple. On closer inspection, Sam determined that the contraption was undoubtedly Goa'uld in design.

Once again, she got an uneasy feeling.

From the far side of the pyramid, two of the men who had been with Sukumar were dragging a younger man between them. He was naked and had been severely beaten, and Sam wondered if he was unconscious. But as soon as they pulled him toward the water, he cried out and began to struggle. Sam gasped when he looked up and she saw his face. It was the same servant who had given her the warning on the beach.

The men began wading into the pool, and the servant thrashed even harder. One of the glass chambers opened, and the men forced the servant inside. By now, he was pleading with the men to let him go, but they paid him little attention. One of the priests hit a button, and seemingly from nowhere, restraints wrapped around his wrists and ankles, binding him firmly to the rear of the chamber. The men backed up and the glass chamber closed, sealing the servant inside.

Although she couldn't hear him, Sam could tell that the servant was yelling at the men and breathing rapidly. His eyes darted all around him, and she likewise felt a rising sense of panic as she watched, as though she were living through the experience herself.

One of the other men who had been with Sukumar emerged from behind the priests and walked straight into the pool, letting the robe he was wearing fall to floor. He entered the second chamber, and the door was closed by the priests. Instead of panicking, however, he appeared to welcome the enclosure.

The priests hit yet another switch, and the chamber holding the servant began to fill with water. By now, the man was screaming, and Sam felt herself hyperventilating, as the water rose up his legs, then his torso, finally climbing up his neck and covering his face.

Sam gasped as she felt strong arms enclose her from behind, and she started to resist, until she realized that it was Jack who was holding her. "Shhhh, Carter. It's okay," he whispered in her ear.

She turned toward him, burying her face in his neck. "It's just like my dream," she sobbed. "We have to save him."

He held her tighter. "I'm sorry, Sam."

At that moment, a bright light filled the pyramid, and Sam knew what she'd see before she turned around. As the light faded, the water began draining from the servant's chamber into the one holding the other man. Where the young servant had been before, a withered body, deathly pale and drained of energy remained. His face seemed to melt off his skull, as his red eyes stared lifelessly ahead.

By now, the second chamber had filled with the water from the first, and as the priest twisted a dial, another bright light engulfed the man inside. When the light faded and the water receded this time, though, the man in the chamber seemed invigorated, his hair fuller, skin smoother, and eyes brighter.

He let himself out and gestured toward the other chamber. With the flip of a switch, the first chamber opened, and the body of the servant fell face forward into the pool and was swept out of the pyramid on the current of the river.

Jack motioned with his head and crawled quietly back outside of the window. Sam followed, a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. When they made it to the ground, she looked up at her commanding officer, disgust and fear written clearly on her features. "They're turning their own people into monsters!" she whispered fiercely. "And for what? So they can retain their youth?"

Jack placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her directly in the eye. "We'll stop them, Carter. I promise."

"I think not," came a cold voice from behind them. Jack and Sam spun around to see Sukumar and his men emerging from the jungle, each holding a zat that was pointed at the two officers. "You were warned not to travel to the Fountain unaccompanied, that such an action is forbidden," he said, indicating for the others to relieve them of their weapons.

"I believe that you were also warned that the punishment for a violation of our laws," he paused and turned an evil smile on Jack, "is death."


	6. Chapter 6

Daniel followed the strange but silent creatures for several minutes, deeper into the heart of the jungle. With each step, Teal'c felt his level of apprehension rise. Just as he was about to suggest to Daniel that they should turn around and head back toward the Stargate as originally planned, the group came to a stop. Through the dense and dripping foliage, he could just make out the opening to a large, dark cave.

Daniel looked up at the Jaffa. "They want us to go inside."

"I do not think that is advisable, DanielJackson."

Daniel glanced at their guide, who was already at the entrance and beckoning him to follow. He shrugged. "I'm going in. Stay out here if you like."

With that, Daniel turned to follow the creature into the mouth of the cave. Teal'c briefly considered the merits of hoisting the archeologist bodily over his shoulder and carrying him away like a child, but ultimately he thought better of the idea and instead readied his staff weapon and followed his friend into the cave.

The interior space was long and dim. Though there were no torches or any other discernible source of light, something in the walls seemed to give off a faint, blue-green glow, which provided sufficient illumination for Teal'c to see the ground immediately in front of them.

"This is amazing," Daniel said in a low voice, as they walked down the seemingly never ending passageway. "The walls must contain some sort of bioluminescent substance."

But Teal'c was too concerned by the depth of the cave and the number of creatures now following them to give much thought to the local flora. It occurred to him that it would be impossible to escape should they need to do so. He grasped his staff weapon more firmly.

Without warning, the tunnel in which they had been walking opened up into a large cavern as big as an amphitheater. The bioluminescence was more plentiful in the space, and Teal'c could just see a solitary figure sitting on a chair carved from stone on the opposite side of the space. He rose as the group entered.

"I guess this is their leader?" Daniel whispered to Teal'c.

"It would appear so," the Jaffa replied.

As they approached, it became apparent that the individual seated on the chair was not like the other creatures. In fact, Teal'c could now see that he was, indeed, human, though he appeared to be of an extremely advanced age. As they neared, he struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on a staff made of wood. When he spoke, his voice was like sandpaper. But neither his presence nor his age was nearly so startling as what he said.

"Welcome, off-worlders, and thank you for agreeing to meet with me. My name is Sequene."

oOoOoOo

Sukumar and his men bound Jack and Sam and dragged them to the far side of the pyramid. At a signal from their leader, the men began pushing a large stone to one side revealing a smaller, square opening in the ground underneath. They positioned their prisoners at the edge.

"Forgive me, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to stay here for the rest of the evening," Sukumar said. "While I'm tempted to execute you immediately, I think it would only be fitting for you to experience the magic of our Fountain yourselves, since you seem so curious to know how it works. Unfortunately, the priests tell me that it will take awhile to be re-calibrated, so we'll have to postpone your experience until tomorrow night." He turned to Sam and stroked her cheek. "Of course, if you prefer, you could spend the night with me instead."

Since her hands were bound, Sam used the only weapon available to her and kicked out with her foot, catching Sukumar in the knee. He cried out in pain, then backhanded her, sending her reeling. Only the men holding her kept her upright. Enraged at the treatment of his Second, Jack attempted to strike out, but to no avail. At a signal from Sukumar, the men threw him into the hole, where he landed with a crunch.

Sukumar stroked Sam's cheek once again with his fingers. "Pity," he said, then with a jerk of his head, the men picked her up and dropped her into the hole after Jack. She fell several feet before hitting first her commanding officer, who let out a grunt, then the hard, dirt floor. She looked up to see Sukumar gazing down into the small cavern. "Enjoy yourselves tonight. It will be your last," he said with a sneer. The men then pushed the stone back over the top of the opening, and Sam felt a twinge of panic as she realized she couldn't see a thing in the ensuing darkness.

A soft groan from beside her brought her back to senses. "Sir! Are you alright?"

"I've been better, Carter." A faint light was filtering down from the ceiling, and once her eyes adjusted, Sam could just make out the form of her commanding officer, lying on the ground, his knees bent and his hands still tied behind him. "You?" he asked.

Sam did a quick self inventory and discovered nothing broken or too badly bruised. "Fine, sir. I think you broke my fall." She was already working at the rope tied around her hands.

"Yes. Yes, I definitely broke your fall." He groaned again, then with some effort, he rolled up onto his knees and began working on his own ropes. Once Sam had hers off, she helped Jack remove the rest of his. He stood and pulled Sam to her feet.

Sam took in her surroundings. They appeared to be in a fairly large hole in the ground, roughly the size of a small bedroom with walls of stone and a dirt floor. "What is this place?" she asked.

"I think it's a holding cell of some sort. Must be where they keep all of their 'participants' until they're ready for them."

Sam shuddered remembering what had happened to the servant in the Fountain. "We have to find a way out."

"Yeah, that might be a little difficult," replied Jack.

He had been examining the walls but saw nothing other than rough stone. The opening they had been pushed through was a good twelve feet above, and there was no ladder or any other means of reaching it. Several small holes, also in the ceiling, let in air and a little moonlight, but they were no bigger than the size of a quarter and spaced far apart.

Sam continued to scour the ceiling. "There has to be a way."

"I think you might have been better off with Suki," he mumbled.

Sam's head snapped around. "I'd rather die," she spat.

"Sorry, Carter," he sighed. He really hadn't meant to say that out loud, and he certainly didn't mean it. But he was growing concerned that she might get her wish.

oOoOoOo

Daniel stared wide eyed at the old man. "I'm sorry. Do you mean _the_ Sequene? The one who led his people to this island in search of the Fountain of Youth more than a thousand years ago?"

The old man smiled, but his expression held no humor. "The same. As you might have guessed, we did indeed find the Fountain, but it was not as we were led to believe." Daniel looked at him in disbelief, while Teal'c watched him dispassionately. Sequene sighed, then continued. "I thought I was following our god. Only much later did I discover that the being who called himself Jocahu was far from divine and was only interested in using our people for his own purposes."

"The galaxy is filled with beings such as the one you describe," offered Teal'c. "False gods, who prey on their followers." Sequene nodded in agreement.

"But what happened to him?" interrupted Daniel. "Why is he no longer here?"

Sequene shook his head. "I am uncertain. Not long after Jocahu brought us to this island, he was joined by another, a woman, who called herself a goddess. Nirrti was her name." Daniel and Teal'c exchanged a startled look. "Together they used the Fountain to experiment on us, but he left with her soon after she arrived and has not returned since."

"What kind of experiments?" Daniel asked, though he already had a pretty good idea.

"I believe they were trying to create a perfect human, one who would remain healthy and youthful indefinitely." Sequene looked at the ground, momentarily lost in thought. "Jocahu told us that the Fountain would give us the gift of eternal life, and that much was true. But what he failed to tell us was that in order to restore one man's youth, another's had to be taken away." He gestured to the creatures who now filled the cavern. "The beings you see here are what is left of those who had their youth stolen by the Fountain."

"These creatures are _human_?" Daniel asked.

"They are," Sequene replied sadly. "At first, Jocahu selected which of his subjects would benefit from the process and which would suffer. I was 'rewarded' for my role in convincing my people to participate. Sukumar, whom you've no doubt met, was also one of the first to receive the gift of eternal youth. When my people realized what was happening, several rebelled. Jocahu quickly quashed the rebellion by making any who protested victims of the Fountain."

"But Jocahu and Nirrti left," reasoned Daniel. "Why didn't the process stop then?"

It was Teal'c who provided the answer. "Those who prospered desired to retain their advantage."

Once again, Sequene nodded. "Yes. It did not take long after Jocahu departed for those who had received the gift to figure out how the Fountain worked. I regret that I was among the first who insisted on continuing to reward those our council deemed worthy of everlasting life.

"In the beginning, we only forced criminals or the terminally ill or injured to give up their youth to those determined to be more deserving. But soon, the demand for victims became too great, and the council began designating any who opposed them - on any matter - criminals to be sacrificed to the Fountain.

"When my own daughter spoke out against the use of the Fountain, the council, over my objection, voted to sacrifice her. It was at that point I acknowledged the Fountain was evil and vowed to destroy it. Sukumar attempted to kill me then, but I escaped. That was many years ago. I have been living amongst the victims since."

Teal'c gazed around the room. "How is it that these humans became as we see them now?"

"I do not know how the Fountain works. I only know that it leaves its victims damaged, and none are ever as they were before. Some suffer only physical deformities; others are left mentally bereft as well. Some gain new abilities, such as telepathy, as you have seen. But all who enter the Fountain become nearly immortal, even those you see before you. I have not been damaged, but I will continue to age indefinitely, as I have forsaken the use of the Fountain for my own benefit. However, Sukumar and those who follow him will stop at nothing to retain their youth."

Sequene paused and moved slowly toward Teal'c and Daniel, examining them carefully. "Tell me, did you come here seeking the Fountain?"

"We did not," replied Teal'c.

"We're explorers," added Daniel. "We came here to learn about your culture."

Sequene grunted, apparently satisfied with this response. "As you might imagine, word of the Fountain's abilities has spread across the galaxy, and travelers from other planets often come through the ring of stone in search of the promise of eternal youth. Instead, they are captured and used as victims. In many cases, the process does not work. According to our legend, however, individuals from our home world, Earth, supposedly provide the greatest benefit. For this reason, Sukumar and his followers were no doubt greatly interested in you.

"You all have been in grave danger since you arrived. We tried to warn you, but I'm afraid our intent was misinterpreted. We planted a vision of the horrors of the Fountain in the mind of the woman, in the hope that you would understand the danger and leave."

Daniel exchanged a long look with Teal'c. "Sequene, we might be able to help you."

Sequene smiled. "We sensed that you are good people, and strong. Your arrival is fortuitous. We have been planning to attack Sukumar and his followers and destroy the Fountain for some time. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated."

oOoOoOo

"Carter, I'm not sure this is such a good idea," Jack grunted, holding onto his Second's ankles. She was currently standing on his shoulders in an attempt to reach the hole in the ceiling. Jack hadn't seen much point given the size of the rock that was covering the opening, but Sam had seemed almost desperate to try and reach it.

"I'm almost there..."

She stretched upwards, and Jack felt her stance shift. He gripped her ankles harder. "Carter..."

"Got it!" She yelled. Standing on her tip toes, she tried to push against the rock with the palms of her hands. Even standing on his shoulders, though, she was too short to get any real leverage and so completely lost her balance. She fell to the ground with a thud.

"Carter!" Jack knelt beside her. "Are you hurt?"

She looked up at him. "Only my pride." Jack grimaced and held out his hand to help her up. Once on her feet, she bowed her head for a minute, then met his eyes. "We're not getting out of here, are we, sir?"

Jack sighed and ran his hands through his hair, deciding it was no use mincing words. "No." He narrowed his eyes and studied her closely. He wasn't sure he had ever seen her look so distraught. But then, she had already had the misfortune of experiencing the horror of the Fountain first hand, thanks to her visions. "Hey," he began, his voice softer now, "we've been in tighter situations before."

She looked straight at him, challenging him. "Have we?"

"Sure," he replied quickly, but when she looked at him expectedly, it caught him off guard. He mentally scrambled, trying to think up some examples. He snapped his fingers. "There was Antarctica and, um," he hesitated, then continued, "when Thor's ship was attacked by Replicators and...," he paused again, and a look of pride crossed his face when he thought of yet another example, "and the time we were trapped on Apophis' battleship when those stupid arm bands stopped working-" Jack stopped abruptly, as Sam's eyes got as big as saucers.

Oh, crap. They didn't talk about that. That was supposed to stay locked in a room. Jack swallowed hard, but he couldn't think of anything to say.

Sam held his gaze for several seconds before she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "At least we're not separated by a force field this time."

Jack's heart leapt into his throat. "Right," he said softly, and he hoped his voice didn't betray his uncertainty with the situation. He considered his next move for awhile before coming to a conclusion. "C'mere," he said finally, and he reached out and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight. She nuzzled his chest, and he put his head on top of hers. For just a moment, he closed his eyes and forgot about everything other than their embrace.

"So, you think we'll get out of this one, sir?" she finally mumbled into his shirt.

He pulled back a bit to look at her and cupped her face, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "Youbetcha," he whispered, with as much conviction as he could muster.

As he continued to hold her gaze, he realized that this is what he had wanted to do when she was trapped behind that force field. He also knew that they were moving rapidly into forbidden territory, but suddenly he just couldn't bring himself to care. His eyes drifted to her lips, and before he had time to give any further thought to the ramifications of his actions, he leaned in and kissed her.

The kiss started out gently, but rapidly progressed to something much more heated, as she responded with an intensity that both surprised and thrilled him. Warning bells sounded somewhere in the back of his mind, letting him know he was close to losing all control. With a herculean effort, he broke the kiss and backed away.

Damn it! He wasn't supposed to let that happen. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Carter...this isn't...we're not..." he began, fumbling over his words as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to say.

"Jack." The use of his first name brought him up short. He looked directly at her and was surprised to see that she was completely calm. She took a deep breath. "If our biggest problem tomorrow is that we've violated the regs tonight, I'm going to count it as a good day."

He gaped at her, momentarily unable to process what she had just said. Slowly, he began to understand. He huffed. It was hard to argue with that logic, and as usual, she was way ahead of him. He gave her a slight smile.

"Right," he said for the second time. Then he cradled her face with both hands and brought his lips to hers once again.


	7. Chapter 7

Jack pulled back from the kiss once more, duty still warring with desire. They had had many close calls during their service together, but as the years progressed, their emotions seemed to inch closer and closer to the surface, to the point now they were occasionally breaking through.

Like the zatarc disaster, Jack thought, where they'd essentially had no choice but to confess their love for one another. Oh, they had been careful not to use those words and had hastily agreed to live under the delusion that it never happened, but they both knew it was impossible to unring that bell.

And then there had been their recent time together on the ice planet, when they'd had their identities taken from them. They had never discussed it. Not once. As far as he knew, neither of them had told a living soul just how close Jonah and Thera had become.

The truth was they'd crossed every single line out there, and then some.

Jack knew, the moment they'd remembered who they were and she'd looked up at him with her big, blue eyes and called him "sir," he had to lock that experience in the room and throw away the key. But it didn't stop the memories from drifting across his mind from time to time, memories of the feeling of her soft body pressed to his, the sweet smell of her skin, the erotic sounds she made as they moved together.

Apparently, she hadn't forgotten either.

"Jack, _please_." She practically moaned the last word, and he felt what was left of his self control dissolve completely.

With an almost feral growl, he pushed her against the wall, his mouth coming down hard on hers, her hands grasping at the short silver hair on the back of his head. As an intractable passion began to consume him, his last coherent thought was that if they survived this, he was never locking away his feelings for her again.

oOoOoOo

"We have been planning to destroy the Fountain for some time now," Sequene paused and shook his head, "but my people are afraid." Daniel and Teal'c had been talking at length with Sequene about his plans for overthrowing Sukumar and stopping the sacrifices.

Daniel was stunned. "Afraid? Sukumar led us to believe that your people are prone to violence, that several of his men had been attacked."

"Lies, mostly. To ensure that the villagers do not become sympathetic and to foster fear among those who oppose the council. Over time, I have been able to convince a handful of my followers to fight, but for most, the pain and fear they experienced in the Fountain has made them timid. They still shy away from the light. It is for this reason that we must wait until nightfall tomorrow before we attack, as it is near dawn now."

"Fear can be a greater enemy than those you oppose. Do you believe these people are prepared to do battle?" Teal'c asked plainly.

Sequene looked at the Jaffa for a long time before answering. "I believe they are ready, and I believe they will fight despite their fear, particularly if they know they are not alone." He shifted his gaze back and forth between the two. "There is one more thing you should know. Sukumar has energy weapons that he procured from Jocahu and Nirrti, weapons that can vaporize a person in three shots..." Daniel nodded, all too familiar with that description.

"The Tau'ri have weapons, as well," Teal'c responded, "and can provide others to assist."

After further discussion, it was decided that Daniel and Teal'c would continue to the Stargate to apprise General Hammond of the situation and request back up as originally planned. After, they would rejoin Sequene and his followers at the cave before heading out to take the Fountain.

As they walked out into the warm night air, Daniel brought his radio to his chin and called for Jack and Sam so that he could update them on the plan. When he released the button, though, all he heard was static. He and Teal'c both tried again, with the same result.

"Perhaps something is interfering with the signal," offered Teal'c.

Daniel furrowed his brow. "Or they're in trouble."

"It is possible," Teal'c acknowledged. "However, if they are indeed in trouble, would it not be wise to secure additional assistance from the SGC?"

Daniel sighed. "Probably. But let's try to go quickly, okay?"

Teal'c inclined his head and continued moving faster through the foliage with the grace and agility of a jungle cat, while Daniel trailed behind, tripping over vines and second guessing both his request for speed and their decision to leave their friends to an uncertain fate.

oOoOoOo

Sunlight filtered down through the small holes scattered over the top of their cell. As a ray of light hit her eyelids, Sam stirred and felt the arm that had been draped around her tighten ever so slightly. She turned to bury her face in the chest of the man with whom she had spent the previous night sharing both body and soul. His scent made her feel warm and protected, and for a moment she was at peace. But all too quickly, the reality of their situation forced its way to the front of her consciousness, and she sat up with a gasp.

"Hey," Jack whispered in her ear. "It's okay." He sat up as well and gave her a crooked smile, but he could see the worry etched on her features. Though they had found plenty of distractions the previous night, Jack was at a bit of a loss now. He decided to try the only thing that came to mind. "Wanna talk about it?"

She stared at him blankly for a few seconds before the corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly. "Now I know we're in trouble." He raised his eyebrows at her, and her smile broadened. "Jack O'Neill wants to talk."

"Well," he said, as he reached down to pull on his boots, "I figure you have to be a little pissed that we spent two nights in what essentially amounted to the honeymoon suite without so much as touching each other, only to come to this paradise," at that he gestured around the rough stone cell, "to, well, you know..."

She snorted and reached for her own boots. "You know that's not what's bothering me."

He whipped his head around in her direction. "So you're upset about missing the Simpson's marathon, too?"

"Jack..." she said in an exasperated tone.

He sighed. Damn, he should never have let things go so far last night. He should have known she would have second thoughts, despite all that had happened between them. He hesitated for moment and then looked directly at her, his demeanor serious now. "You're worried about the future."

She shook her head and smiled, though she appeared upset again. "No." She stared down at her hands resting in her lap and said quietly, "I'm worried we won't _have_ a future."

"Ah," was his only reply. Though he shared her concern, he couldn't deny that on some level he was profoundly relieved. He knew how to deal with the physical threats to their relationship; what he couldn't handle were the emotional ones.

They spent the rest of the day plotting and planning, talking and even occasionally laughing. As the light began to fade, though, Jack noticed Sam becoming increasingly apprehensive, so he kept their conversation focused on the SGC, the team, and the two of them - anything other than their current predicament and the looming appointment with the Fountain. He had just convinced her to accompany him to his cabin in Minnesota, when a noise from above caused him to stop speaking mid-sentence and look up at the ceiling.

Sam stared at him wide-eyed. "What is it?"

"They're coming," he said.

oOoOoOo

Hammond didn't hesitate to assign SG-3, SG-5, and SG-12 to back up Daniel and Teal'c, though he made it clear that their primary purpose was to secure the Fountain and recover Jack and Sam, not incite a full blown revolution. However, Teal'c was quick to note that he hadn't said anything that would prevent them from assisting a revolution that was already underway.

When they arrived though, the creatures were in disarray, and Sequene reported that their resolve was weakening as the time to take action approached. Worse, he informed them that one of his scouts had reported that Jack and Sam had been captured and were to be sacrificed to the Fountain at nightfall.

"But it's already dusk," Daniel said, alarmed.

"We must go now, either with or without the help of these creatures, though it would be better to have them with us," added Teal'c.

Daniel hesitated for a only a second before he stepped up on the dais next to Sequene's chair and cleared his throat. "Excuse me!" he yelled. "I need your attention, please!" The creatures ignored him, his words having no effect.

"Perhaps I might try, DanielJackson," Teal'c said to the archeologist in a low voice.

Daniel stepped down and made a sweeping gesture with his arm. "Be my guest," he replied, doubtful that anything they did could move these creatures to action. Yet the moment Teal'c stepped up on the dais, Daniel knew why he had been First Prime to Apophis, why Jack had insisted on making him a member of SG-1, and why he would one day be a great leader of his people.

"Listen to me, inhabitants of Beimini!" The Jaffa's deep voice boomed throughout the cave, and every head turned to look at him. "To live in the shadows, to allow others to suffer, simply because you are too frightened to confront your oppressors, is to not live at all. You have suffered a terrible injustice, but you have the power to stop it. Now is the time to do so. Together we will right this wrong and ensure that no one ever suffers again!"

A yell of sorts went up from the creatures at Teal'c's words, and they quickly lined up behind him.

"So much for not inciting a revolution," Daniel whispered to Major Castleman, who grunted in reply.

But as the Jaffa moved out of the cave with Daniel and the other SG teams at his side, every one of the creatures followed.

oOoOoOo

Two men pushed Jack and Sam into the interior of the dark pyramid, while another two aimed zats at their heads to keep them compliant. The first thing Sam noticed as she entered the temple was a string of priests at the control panel, twisting knobs and turning dials. The Fountain immediately began to glow an ethereal blue and emit an irregular humming noise.

The next thing she noticed was Sukumar, dressed only in a robe, looking at her with a cool expression. He waited until the men brought her within his reach, then he grasped her by the chin and forced her to look into his eyes. "If I am unable to have you one way, I will simply have you another," he spat. He released her roughly and turned to the men holding her. "Strip her and place her in the Fountain."

"No! Wait! Take me!" Jack yelled, but the men had already begun cutting off Sam's uniform. "You son of a bitch!" Jack attempted to lunge at Sukumar but was jerked back violently by his henchman.

The Beiminian leader faced Jack with a smirk. "Don't worry; you will have your opportunity to make a contribution to the Fountain." He looked him up and down with an expression of disdain. "Such as it may be."

Sam could feel her panic level rising as the men unceremoniously stripped her of her clothing completely. It took all of her military training to maintain control as horrific visions of the Fountain threatened to overwhelm her. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, but she concentrated on projecting an outward appearance of calm while waiting for an opportunity to strike. The moment Sukumar turned to confront Jack, she made her move, elbowing one of her captors in the sternum while hitting the other in the nose with the back of her fist.

Before she had time to do anything further, though, she heard the unmistakeable sound of a zat blast. An involuntary whimper escaped as she turned to see Jack writhing on the floor of the temple in obvious pain.

Sukumar looked at her calmly, the zat he was now holding still trained on Jack. "I assume you know what a second shot will do?"

Sam lowered her head in defeat, and the men grabbed her elbows and pulled her roughly toward the cold water of the spring. She glanced once over her shoulder at Jack, who was still on the ground, conscious but unable to move or speak. He held her gaze, however, his eyes first demanding, then pleading with her to fight.

But Sukumar did not lower the zat until she was restrained inside the cylindrical chamber. The moment the door to the chamber closed, panic began to grip her once again, and she struggled against her restraints. She watched as Sukumar disrobed and stepped calmly into the chamber next to her, then gave the signal to the priests to begin the process.

"No!" she cried out, even though she knew no one could hear her. The freezing water began climbing up her legs, and she pulled against her restraints as hard as she could. The water moved quickly over her waist, and she began hyperventilating. Before it reached her face, she spared one last look at Jack, who was screaming her name now, the panic on his face mirroring her own. She closed her eyes for a moment and gave a passing thought to all that could have been between them. Then she let out a sob before her head was completely submerged.

She knew what was coming next and braced herself for the light and the pain. Her heart was pounding wildly, and too soon the urge to breathe became unbearable. Involuntarily she gasped for air, but the only thing that filled her lungs was the ice cold water of the Fountain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who is interested, the extended love scene from this chapter can be found under my profile. It's entitled A Room of a Different Sort.


	8. Chapter 8

Jack watched, horrified, as the water covered Sam's head and she struggled helplessly against her restraints. He looked desperately over at the priests and could see one preparing to turn the dial that would change her forever. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a staff blast caught the priest in the chest and sent him flying backwards. Jack turned in the direction of the blast and let out a yelp of relief. There were Teal'c and Daniel and half the SGC, leading a group of the strange jungle creatures, who descended upon the priests and sent them scurrying in terror out of the pyramid.

The man restraining Jack, distracted by the commotion, unwittingly loosened his grip, providing Jack the perfect opportunity to elbow him in the stomach. As his captor doubled over, he was caught by zat fire, compliments of Daniel, who shouted Jack's name and pointed in the direction of the chambers.

Jack turned to follow his gaze, and what he saw made his blood run cold. There was Sam, completely submerged and unmoving. With a single-minded purpose, Jack strode toward the glass chambers, pausing only to catch a rifle that was tossed to him by one of the Marines. Keeping his eyes glued to Sam's still form, he switched the weapon to its single fire setting.

In his peripheral vision, he saw an enraged Sukumar step out of his chamber and move toward him as if to block his progress. Without even stopping to take aim, Jack brought the rifle up and shot the Beiminian leader in the middle of the forehead. So focused was he on Sam, though, he didn't notice the shocked look frozen on Sukumar's face, as he fell over into the water and was swept out of pyramid on the current of the river.

Wasting no time, Jack jumped into the water and, with a yell, brought the butt of the rifle down hard on Sam's chamber. The glass shattered into a million pieces, and water poured out into the spring. Jack tossed the weapon aside and immediately began unfastening the restraints that kept Sam pinned to the back of the chamber. Once free, her lifeless form fell into his arms, and he quickly began moving with her to the edge of the water.

As he laid her on the ground, he fought back the fear that threatened to paralyze him. Oblivious to those around him, including Teal'c, who watched with a stony faced resolve, and Daniel, who could barely watch at all, Jack bent over her and began an attempt to revive her, his attention fixed solely on the pattern of mouth to mouth resuscitation followed by multiple chest compressions. Each time his thoughts wandered toward the dark edge of despair, he concentrated solely on the mechanics of his actions, repeating the pattern over and over again and pushing everything else from his mind.

It as for that reason that several long minutes passed before he finally heard Daniel calling his name. He could hear the tears in the archeologist's voice, but he ignored him, focusing all of his attention on Sam, who remained lifeless. As he continued to try to resuscitate her, he heard Teal'c call to him as well, but still he didn't stop. "Come on, Sam," he mumbled, as he depressed her chest with his fists. "Breathe, damn it."

Suddenly, he felt the large hand of the Jaffa grasp his shoulder, but it was his quiet words that brought the military man up short. "She is gone, O'Neill."

Silence engulfed him. He knew there were several SG teams in the temple now standing vigil over his unsuccessful rescue attempt, but they didn't make a sound. Whether it was the shock of losing a fellow soldier or out of respect for him, Jack would never be sure.

He sat back on his heels and looked down at the still form of his Second. Even in death she was beautiful. Gently, he wiped a damp lock of hair off her forehead. Had it only been a few hours ago that he had done the same thing in the throes of passion? And hadn't he promised her that they would survive this, if for no other reason than to be together again?

"No!" he screamed suddenly. He had already lost everything that ever mattered to him once. He was not going to lose her. The universe owed him that much. With a renewed purpose, he bent over her once again. "Breathe, Carter," he grunted as he took up the pattern once more. "God damn it, Major, breathe!" he yelled. "That's an order!"

Without warning, Sam's body seized violently, and she began spitting up water and coughing as she desperately tried to take a breath. A cheer went up from the crowd, and Jack felt a wave of relief like none he'd ever known overwhelm him. Sam continued to cough and struggle to breathe for a moment, and Jack finally let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Although she seemed understandably disoriented, her color was coming back and her eyes were clear.

She looked up at her commanding officer, who was kneeling over her. If she didn't know better she would've sworn he was about to cry. "Jack?" she asked, her voice rough.

"Sam," he replied simply. Smiling, he pulled her shivering form to him and held her tightly in his embrace.

She grasped his shirt and buried her face in his shoulder as the events of the past hour rapidly came back to her. Slowly she raised her head and looked around the temple. "Oh, god."

"Hey, it's okay," Jack whispered. "You're going to be okay."

Sam buried her head in his chest and shook her head. After a lengthy pause, she asked, "Are those Marines, sir?"

Jack furrowed his brow and tried to pull back to look at her, but she wouldn't let him go. He was confused by the apparent non sequitur. "Um...yeah?"

"Am I still naked?" She mumbled the question into his shirt.

"Ah," was his only reply, as realization suddenly dawned. He winced, then smiled into her hair. "Sorry, Carter."

oOoOoOo

The four members of SG-1 sat in their usual configuration around the conference room table, Jack and Sam on one side, with Daniel and Teal'c on the other. General Hammond sat at the head, paying close attention to what the archeologist was saying.

"As it turns out, most of the people in the village were terrified of Sukumar and the rest of the ruling council and were thrilled to see them ousted. And while the villagers are still uneasy around the victims of the Fountain, Sequene is working as a sort of liaison between the two groups and believes they are developing a reluctant acceptance of each other."

Hammond nodded once. "Does anyone know what happened to Sukumar?"

"His body has not been recovered," Teal'c responded. "The prevailing belief is that he was swept into the ocean."

"And what of the Fountain?" asked Hammond.

"SG-5 destroyed the other chamber, on my order, sir," said Jack. "I wanted to destroy the control panel, as well, but I was convinced otherwise." At that, he glanced sideways at his Second, who briefly met his gaze. Jack had wanted nothing more than to rid the universe of that awful machine and had been surprised when Sam, of all people, had argued in favor of keeping it for study.

"I thought it might be worth trying to figure out how it works." Sam shrugged. "Maybe there's some way we can help the victims. In any case, we dismantled it and brought it back through the 'gate. Our scientists already have some theories, sir."

"I'm all ears, Major."

Sam straightened in her chair. "They've theorized that the Fountain takes healthy DNA from the donor and uses it to replace any of the recipient's DNA that has been damaged through the natural aging process, in effect keeping the recipients youthful indefinitely. The transfer results in the mutation of the donor's DNA, which may explain the physical changes the victims experience. It also explains why the Beiminians were so interested in us. Being from Earth, we are probably their closest genetic match."

Hammond looked around the table. "But you think this machine is of Goa'uld design."

It was Daniel's turn to respond. "We know it was used by the Goa'uld, though I doubt they designed it. They are parasites in every sense of the word. It's more likely they simply stole it and adapted it for their purpose."

"Which was what exactly?"

"Based on past experience, we believe that Nirrti and Jocahu were attempting to create a perfect host, one that does not age," said Teal'c.

Hammond grunted. "Well, unfortunately, it sounds like their experiments had some tragic results." He looked throughful for a moment before continuing. "I do have one piece of good news. It turns out that the cave Teal'c and Dr. Jackson found contains significant strains of naquada. Sequene has indicated that he will let us mine it, and in return we have offered any assistance, medical or otherwise, his people may need. Dr. Jackson, I'd like you work on the details of the agreement."

Daniel nodded, as did Jack. "That is good news, sir."

Hammond spread his hands on the table and began to rise. "Unless any of you have anything to add, I'll expect your reports by the end of the day. Excellent work, SG-1." He paused and looked at them all, letting his gaze linger for a moment on Jack and Sam. "And let me just say how glad I am that you all made it back safe and sound." He stood up completely. "Dismissed."

oOoOoOo

Jack rounded the corner into the open doorway of Sam's lab to find his Second bent over a piece of the dissembled Fountain. "Carter!"

"Sir!" Sam jumped, startled by Jack's unexpected appearance. She recovered quickly, though, and felt herself flush a bit in response to his boyish grin. "What's up?""

He walked all the way into the lab and leaned over the large counter in the middle, hands clasped. "Just came by to see how you're doing."

"I'm fine, sir," she responded immediately. "Really," she added upon seeing the skeptical look on his face. She looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Thanks to you," she said quietly.

He squinted at her. "You sure?"

She sighed. "Well, I can't say I have a burning desire to go swimming anytime soon, but, yeah, I'm okay." She fiddled for a moment with the piece of equipment before finally setting it down. "Actually, I'm more embarrassed than anything."

"About what?" he asked, with a furrowed brow.

She couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Gee, I don't know. For starters, I was naked when Daniel and Teal'c and the three other SG teams found us. And then, of course, there's the whole mouth-to-mouth thing with you, and god only knows what kind of rumors are flying about us now. And did I mention that I was _naked_?"

"Carter, you almost died. I don't think a single person there was concerned about anything other than making sure you were okay." Jack paused and tapped the counter. "Plus, I might have issued a standing order or two to ensure you don't have any problems in that regard."

"What kind of orders?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

Jack cleared his throat. "Let's just say anyone caught discussing what transpired in that pyramid with anything less than the highest degree of professionalism will find themselves busted a rank and relegated to babysitting Felger and Coombs on P5X-112 for the next eighteen months."

At that, she laughed out loud. She had no idea why that made her feel so much better, but it did. "Effective. Thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it." He was grinning again, but his expression slowly turned serious, and he began picking lint off of the counter. "Look, Carter," he began, without looking up, "we probably need to talk about what happened, you know, before..."

"I've been thinking about that a lot, sir."

His head snapped up, and he raised his eyebrows hopefully. "Oh?"

Sam took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to do. "It seems to me that we should probably just keep it in the room."

"Oh," he replied, his face betraying his extreme disappointment.

As pleased as she was with his reaction, Sam couldn't stand to see him like that for long. The corners of her mouth turned up in a mischeivous smile. "But...I can't see a reason why it has to be the _same_ room."

"Oh?" he asked, perking up substantially.

"For example, I take it there's a room at your cabin?"

Another grin began to emerge. "As a matter of fact, there is, Carter."

"And," she continued, coyly, "I distinctly remember something about you inviting me up to your cabin when we got back."

"So I did."

"So does the offer still stand?"

"Oh yeah." Jack was now grinning from ear to ear.

"Well then, maybe we should go check out the room at your cabin this weekend."

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes twinkling. "You got your fishing gear?"

"Fishing, sir?" she asked, as her face fell a bit. He was kidding, right?

"Fishing, Carter," he replied with a knowing smile.

"Um..."

"I'll tell you what. Don't worry about the gear, Carter." He leaned across the counter toward her and whispered seductively, "You can use mine." Sam blushed. "So, pick you up at 0800 tomorrow?"

She beamed at him. "Yes, sir."

Jack gave her a nod before turning and walking out the door, still grinning wildly. From halfway down the hall, she heard him start to whistle. And when he met Daniel a little further down the hallway and he asked Jack what on Earth could be making him so happy, she heard his single word reply quite clearly: "Fishing."

The End


End file.
